Precast Concrete Industry – Application Series: 3 of 5
Cement Mixers – Trapped Key Interlock Safety Solutions
The most common cement mixer hazards: caught-in/between * electric shock * struck by moving elements
Concrete is the most common used man-made material on earth. The uses of concrete range from structural applications to piping, drains, and pavers. Buildings, bridges, roads, and more could not be constructed without this important material.
Assessing and maximising machine guarding on your cement mixer will mitigate hazards and prevent injuries & fatalities
Concrete mixing plants must perform regular maintenance on mixers to ensure proper working conditions and efficiencies. Maintenance can involve accessing the mixer’s entry points for cleaning and servicing of paddles or blades. To ensure work safety, power must be isolated prior to entry of the mixer and at no time during maintenance can power be inadvertently re-energised.
Don’t allow an oversite to become a reportable! Let’s change the statistics and enhance your safety!
Trapped key interlock safety solutions ensure a pre-determined sequence of operations each & every time. While LOTO provides a visual warning and identifies hazards, a TKI solution physically prevents a specific set of actions from being performed until previous action(s) have been fully completed!
Common trapped key interlock solution for isolating power and accessing mixer:
Step 1: Power Isolation K Bolt Interlock installed on main breaker for mixer
Step 2: Residual Energy Castell DAE mechanical time delay unit pre-set to allow for mixer run-down time
Step 3: Safe Access AI single key access interlock installed on mixer lid
Step 4: Controlled Power Castell KS power electrical switch installed on control switch for mixer lid winch